Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial herbs.

Stems: Lateral stems ascending to decumbent, ca. 10–50 cm long, glabrous, rhizomes few–branched, subterranean.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, widely spaced. Blades reniform–cordate, broadly or depressed–reniform, broadly cordate, or broadly rhombic–orbicular, unlobed or rarely 3–lobed, (1.5–)2–5 cm long, (1.5–)3.5–6(–9) cm wide. Base broadly cuneate. Surfaces glabrous or with a few minute hairs. Margins crenate. Petioles 1–30(–42) cm long. Stipules thin, submembranous, lanceolate, (3–)6–9(–14) mm long, (1.5–)3–5 mm wide, glabrous, margins serrate, the glandular teeth 0.1–0.3 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers solitary in the leaf axils. Flowers bisexual (perfect), cleistogamous flowers produced, usually occurring on short lateral stems. Pedicels 15–90 mm long, bracteoles well above middle of peduncle. Calyx of 5 sepals, subequal, prolonged into appendages below the point of insertion, persistent; chasmogamous flowers with sepals oblong–lanceolate, upper and lower ones (4–)8.2–8.7 mm long, lateral ones (4–)9.1–9.5 mm long, all sepals distinctly prolonged at base; cleistogamous flowers upper and lower sepals ca. 6–7 mm long, lateral ones ca. 7–8 mm long. Corolla zygomorphic, consisting of 5 distinct petals, these unequal, lateral ones smaller than upper pair; chasmogamous flower petals white on upper surface, lower surface purple or blue to white, narrowly spatulate, glabrous, upper petals ca. 15–19 mm long, lateral ones ca. 18–23 mm long, Iower one ca. 18–25 mm long, slightly saccate at base, apex of all petals notched, slightly asymmetrically so in lateral ones; cleistogamous flower petals greenish, glabrous, upper ones ca. 1–1.6 mm long, 3-lobed, lateral ones linear, 3–4.5 mm long, lower one oblong–spatulate, ca. 4–5.2 mm long, scarcely saccate at base. Stamens 5, staminal filaments coherent around ovary; anther connective of lower Stamens prolonged into an appendage, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; chasmogamous flowers upper stamen sterile, connective of lower ones prolonged; cleistogamous flowers upper stamen sterile, petaloid, lateral ones petaloid, lower one more similar to those in chasmogamous flowers. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal; ovules numerous per placenta, anatropous; chasmogamous flower style geniculate and with a low, somewhat distinct crest; cleistogamous flower style closely pressed against stamens .

Fruit: Capsules with loculicidal dehiscence; 8–13 mm long; deeply lobed; elastically dehiscent by rigid keels and thin valve walls. Seeds numerous; brown; obovoid; 2–2.1 mm long; 1.1–1.3 mm in diameter; smooth; apex rounded; seed coat somewhat leathery; dull; with fleshy; oily endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Open bogs.

Elevation Range: 630–640 m.